


Wide awake waitin' on a goodnight kiss

by Odd_birds_and_booksellers



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:50:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26630143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odd_birds_and_booksellers/pseuds/Odd_birds_and_booksellers
Summary: Prompt: I can't sleep without you beside me.
Relationships: Alex Karev & Jo Wilson Karev, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	Wide awake waitin' on a goodnight kiss

“You okay? You look tired.” Alex’s voice was croaky as it came through the screen, cracking slightly as Jo manoeuvred the laptop around to see him better. He looked tired, he hadn’t shaved since leaving around two weeks ago and his growing facial hair made him look much older than he truly was. 

“Wow thanks, how did I get so lucky to be married to a charmer like you?” Jo laughs forcing a smile on her face, hoping that with 10,000 miles between them and a crappy internet connection he wouldn’t be able to see how worn down she really was. 

“Shut up, you know what I mean,” Alex growls, rolling his eyes, relaxing a little bit as Jo’s smile came through the grainy screen, something was wrong that much he could tell but he was worried to push her any further, he was concerned if he did she’d retreat away from him and he’d be too far away from her to help. He knew it was a bad idea to go, ever since the opportunity came across his lap he’d had an uneasy feeling about it, it was just bad timing, as a resident Alex would’ve jumped at the opportunity to set up a clinic in Zimbabwe for underprivileged kids and while he was still very passionate about the cause he didn’t feel comfortable up and living his life anymore. It was Jo that had convinced him to go, assuring him she’d be fine, that a month was no time, reminding him it was now or never because he certainly wouldn't have another chance to spend a month away from home anytime soon with a baby on the way. Her insistence in him going was exactly why he hadn’t told her, it’s why the leaflets were stuffed inside his nightstand and not on the counter because he knew she was all for championing his dreams, she’d push him to do it even if it cost her. Which clearly it had he thought while staring at her forlorn face through the screen, the guilt of leaving her alone weighing heavy on Alex’s chest. 

Jo however simply shrugged, avoiding his gaze as she looks down at her pyjama pants pulling at a loose thread hoping the dodgy wifi connection in Zimbabwe wouldn’t show her watery eyes, she wasn’t upset it was just these stupid bloody hormones that had her crying every five minutes. “I’m a surgeon, I'm always tired.” She mutters, even through the screen she could feel Alex's intense gaze making her sink lower into the chair. 

“I mean more tired than usual.” Alex clarifies, narrowing his eyes to get a better look at Jo, even in the darkness of the loft he could see the reflection of her tears against the screen light. 

“I didn’t sleep that well.” Jo shrugs, finding more interest in her Pajama pants as the thread finally comes loose revealing a gaping hole in her trousers that she continues to pick at. She hated this, she just wanted to check he was alive, maybe hear about his day, she didn’t want his constant questioning over skype, she already felt shitty enough. 

“You said that yesterday.”

“Did I?”

“Yes.” Alex deadpans, he knows all Jo’s tricks, knows his wife better then she thinks he does and he knows that this cold quiet nature she’s got going on currently is not from a lack of sleep. “Is there something going on Jo? You know you can tell me whatever it is.”

Jo frowns, her eyebrows creasing as she shifts uncomfortably in her chair. “It’s nothing, Alex...I’m fine.”

“How stupid do you think I am?”

Sighing Jo finally meets his eyes, his face is closer to the screen but it’s not close enough for her, she needs him here and she regrets telling him to go, logically she knew this was his last chance do something so amazing and she wanted that for him, she wanted him to have these opportunities, she loved watching him shine, he always supported her and she wanted to do the same for him, she just hadn’t expected it to be this hard. “I don’t like sleeping in the bed without you.” She admits, a loan tear slipping down her cheek as he fingers trace across his face on the screen. 

“What?”

“That’s it, okay? I hate sleeping without you. The bed's too cold, there's too much space and I wake up every time I hear the door creak, which is a lot because I’m pretty sure our neighbour is a drug dealer exclusively operating from 9 pm to 6 am.” Jo rambles off, her face scrunching up as deflates in the chair, her eyes stinging with more tears as she watches Alex grimace. She felt immediately sick, she knew Alex would wanna come home now, at the very least he’d have Meredith or Link over within the hour to check on her. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He sighs, rubbing his eyebrow. 

“Because I didn’t want you to feel bad about working away. I know how excited you are to be out there and I didn’t wanna worry you.” 

“Jo we’ve been through this you have to tell me these things, good or bad, you know that,” Alex mutters, they’d been through this, Jo had been doing so well since her breakdown but one of the main things they’d got out of their joint therapy session was that they’d have to keep being open with her feelings no matter what they were if they wanted their marriage to work, and god never had either one of them wanted something to work more. 

“But I can see that look in your eyes, you feel bad.”

“Because you’re not sleeping.”

“But it’s not your fault.” 

“But it is...I didn’t have to take this job.” Alex growls, he didn’t even want this job, sure it was there was a huge call for his expertise, and there were so many surgeries he’d been able to do in the last two weeks that back home felt like gold dust but it wasn’t worth the price of his wife not sleeping while she was carrying their baby. 

“But you wanted to and I wanted you too. I didn’t know I was gonna react like this.” Jo sighs, resting her head in her hands, she rubs her eyes furiously, it was one month, they were already two weeks in she could last another two weeks, there were children who needed him, who was she to demand his attention. “I should be used to sleeping on my own, I’ve slept in far worse places than our stupidly expensive bed. Alex...are you even listening to me? Alex, what are you doing?” Jo frowns, watching as Alex disappears off-screen, she can hear him shuffling about before he plops down back on the chair, his phone in hand. 

“Looking up the next flight to Seattle,” Alex mutters, not meeting her gaze as he begins to type furiously away, he was coming home, there was no way he could watch his wife cry over facetime for the next two weeks, there was no way he could focus on his patients wondering if Jo was okay or if shes passed out from exhaustion in the middle of the ER. 

“No Alex...Alex I’m fine seriously.” Jo cries, leaning in closer to the screen as if it will make any difference. 

“You’re not sleeping, it's not good for you or the baby and I can’t sit by and accept that…” Alex mumbles looking up he nods towards the growing bump, he can’t really see it but he knows it's there, she’d had a slight curve when he left, a little sign of what he had waiting for him when he came home. 

Jo bites her lip, her hand curling around her tiny bump, the tiny flutters under her fingertips the only reason she’s trying so hard to keep it together. “Alex stop...I’m getting sleep just not a lot and I’m napping in the day anyway.” She’s been forcing herself to sleep, desperate to do what's best for their baby, she was already feeling like she’s a failure as a mother.

“That’s not good enough. You need proper sleep, Jo. You heard Carina after you fainted, you need to take care of yourself properly.” Alex growls, shaking his head.

Jo jerks back, folding her arms over her chest, she glowers down at the screen. “I am Alex do you not think I can take care of my own kid.” She was trying her hardest here, she hated depending on people and even more so she hated admitting that she needed Alex to sleep. 

“I never said that…-”

“I have to go...Love you.” Jo cuts him off, already rising from her chair as she reaches towards the laptop. She’s not angry at him, not really, she’s just angry that he can see right through even from 10,000 miles away. 

“Jo wait…” Alex grumbles, as the screen goes black, it’s just the hormones he knows but somehow they seem far more intense here then they did at home, sighing, he pulls out his phone shooting her quick text before heading back to work.

**_I love you more...stay safe_ **

* * *

  
It's a two days letter when Jo returns home after what was one of the most excruciatingly busy shifts she's ever had, she feels like she could drop at any minute. She hadn’t been able to get hold of Alex during her lunch break and the lack of contact didn’t help to settle her anxious heart but she was just hoping she was exhausted enough to sleep. Flopping down on the bed, she cries out when her head smacks against something hard.

Wincing, Jo squeezes her eyes shut, hearing a voice she knows all to good grumbling in pain, slowly she peels one eye open to see Alex, stupid beard and all, tucked under the covers rubbing his forehead. 

“What are you doing here?” Jo mumbles, throwing her arms around him, instantly forgetting the searing pain in her head as Alex's scent washes over her.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Alex grumbles, his face scrunched up as he nestles his face into her neck, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Jo pulls back her eyes, scanning him over making sure he is really here and not just a sleep-deprived hallucination, suddenly it dawns on her that if he’s here, then he’s not in Africa saving the tiny humans he’d promised to save. “But the tiny humans who need life-saving treatment?” 

“There's plenty of doctors out there to help. It’s up and running now. I've trained plenty of idiots, now they can train the next lot of idiots.” Alex grumbles, leaning back against the bed, pulling Jo down with him. He’d got his affairs in order pretty much the minute Jo had ended their call, it had taken him a few hours to sort his replacement but less than 24 hours after she’d hung up he was on a flight home. 

“You shouldn’t have come home.”

“I wanted to be here, My work is important but nothing is more important than you and the baby. I wanna be here, I need to be here.” Alex mutters, nestling closer into her neck, pulling her closer into his arms, his eyes fluttering shut as he guides her down to lay against the pillows. 

“If you’re sure,” Jo mumbles, Alex presence having an immediate effect on her tired state, she couldn’t even bring herself to change clothes, the warmth and safety he provided making her eyes flutter shut 

“I am.” He mumbles sleepily, pressing a row of kisses down Jo’s neck, his beard scratching against her skin, a reminder that he’s here, home in their bed. “My dad missed everything growing up. I don’t wanna be like him.”  That was Alex’s biggest fear, becoming his father the main reason he’d said no to setting up the clinic, it was time he could never get back but Jo had been adamant now was the time to go, he’d never be able to take this much time away from home once the baby arrived. 

“You’re nothing like him, Alex.” Jo sighs, one hand running through his messy curls as he hums in content. “Setting up a medical clinic for underprivileged children abroad is not the same as walking out on your family,” Jo mutters, humming as he snuggles closer, his head resting on her chest.  “You are a good man Alex Karev and you’re gonna be a wonderful father,” Jo mumbles pressing a kiss to his head, she feels her body finally relaxing for the first time in two months as Alex’s body warmth envelops her. 

“You’re going to be an amazing mother, and I never meant to insinuate that you weren’t looking out for our baby.” His hand drifts down the edges of Jo’s top in search of the tiny curve that had been there when he left two weeks ago. “The way you look after peo- What the hell is this?” Alex exclaims just as Jo was drifting off, sitting up immediately his eyes scanning across her body, his forehead creased as he pointed towards her torso, pulling at the oversized sweatshirt she had on. 

“Mhmm your sweatshirt?” Jo mumbles meekly giving him a half-smile as she sheepishly tries to twist away from his glance, he never really cared if she wore his clothes if anything he liked it but he had one rule, wear anything but his Iowa wrestling shirt, it was fading fast and he loved it but then again so did Jo. It wasn’t her fault then one thing she couldn’t wear was also her favourite. 

“No, I mean this….what the heck I SAID NO GROWING WITHOUT ME.” Alex grumbles, dipping down to address Jo’s burgeoning bump, rolling up his sweatshirt, his hands trace across her skin, marvelling at how much had changed since he’d been away. 

Jo grins sitting up, so he could see how pronounced her stomach had become, she laughs, reaching out to cup his cheek. “Erm Alex...you know it's a good thing that he or she is growing right...that's what we want a nice healthy baby.” She mumbles, resting one hand on his as she smiles down at the bump, she may have been having a bit of rough time lately but she’d been making sure their baby had the best, she’d even forced herself to drink a few kale smoothies. 

“Yeah but they didn’t have to grow this much...what did you eat? Everything you could find?” Alex exclaims, still talking at the bump when he feels a light smack against the back of his head, leaning up he gives Jo a cheeky smile while she pouts at him. “Ow….I was kidding you look great.” He smiles leaning to give her light peck, savouring the feeling. It was good to be home.

“Mhmm nice save…..oh oh.” Jo smiles against his lips as he begins to pepper tiny kisses all over her face making her squeal. 

“Is that?” Alex's eyes widen as he pulls back, he feels another light tap against his hand that was still pressed against Jo’s stomach.

“Yeah...yeah...here move your hand.” Jo smiles brightly, taking his hand she tracks their little one's movements as more excited kicks spread out across her stomach. “Looks like someone is glad to have you home.”

“Not half as glad as I am.” Alex beams, the corners of his eyes crinkling up as he leans down pressing a light kiss against Jo’s bump. “I love you and I love you” he whispers tenderly as his eyes meet Jo’s again. 

“I love you more.” Jo hums softly, a sparkle in her eyes as she settles back against the pillows.

“Jo…” Alex whispers, moving up so he’s face to face with Jo, his hand trailing across her cheek, moving the hair that’s fallen across her face to behind her ear. A small smile gracing his face as she mumbles something incoherent, her eyes fluttering shut as she drifts off, the exhaustion hitting her full force now she was wrapped in the safety of Alex's arms. “The truth is I can’t sleep when you’re not beside me either.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> It took me way longer then it should have to do this prompt, but I'm feeling productive today so let's see how well I do, also you find my prompts lists at the bottom of my Tumblr master post on @odd-birds-and-booksellers and request your own. 
> 
> Or you can check out @thejolexgroupchat to send your prompts and request to a whole group of Jolex writers.


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